This study aimed to clarify the characteristics of Japanese male family caregivers in terms of their sense of care burden, their capacity to deal with stress, and their subjective sense of well-being. A survey consisting of questionnaires and interviews was conducted from March to May 2014 in the subjects’ homes. Subjects were 27 Japanese males (the age range: 54 - 85) who provided home care for their family member. Caregivers who were good at relieving stress or who had a subjective sense of well-being were found to have a low care burden. The types and seriousness of diseases of the care recipients were not related to the caregivers’ sense of burden, capacity to deal with stress, or subjective sense of well-being. Based on the interview results, caregivers were found to have the following characteristics: they were particular about methods of care; they learned how to provide home care by themselves; they used their social intelligence in home care; they always provided home care while keeping the future in mind; and most notably, they considered home care to be their primary occupation. On the whole, male caregivers were found to alleviate the burdens of home care by making use of the nursing-care service systems that enabled them to relieve stress and enjoy their leisure time. Caregivers considered home care to be their occupation and used their past social experiences. The workforce helped them deal with the care recipients’ health conditions or day-to-day changes so that they could overcome the care burden.

Pinquart, M. and Sorensen, S. (2007) Correlates of Physical Health of Informal Caregivers: A Meta-Analysis. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 62, 126-137.http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geronb/62.2.P126

Kumamoto, K. and Arai, Y. (2004) Validation of “Personal Strain” and “Role Strain”: Subscales of the Short Version of the Japanese Version of the Zarit Burden Interview (J-ZBI_8). Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 58, 606-610. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1819.2004.01310.x

Togari, T. and Yamazaki, Y. (2005) Examination of the Reliability and Factor Validity of 13-Item Five-Point Version Sense of Coherence Scale. Japanese Journal of Health and Human Ecology, 71, 168-182. http://dx.doi.org/10.3861/jshhe.71.168